This is where consumers go to record their consumption experiences and discuss the effects of how consumers are influenced by their environment in ways such as their culture, family, and media. This is an ongoing testimony of why we, as consumers, do the[sometimes crazy] things we do.

Monday, December 13, 2010

And so it begins, every college student's favorite time of the semester: Finals Week

As this is such a festive and fun-filled time, i often find myself staying up until the wee hours of the morning (like i am right now) just to celebrate my love of my classes through re-learning many of the concepts presented in the class (aka studying).As I have had a few of these late night celebrations over the last few nights, I have noticed some changes in my purchasing habits of normal. Taco Bell and CVS seem to really be going strong in my life right now, as i load up on burritos and energy drinks. The health risks to exam week just keep piling up.Nonetheless, I will continue to celebrate this hallowed holiday week with increased spending in fast food and beverages as I continue the quest for relaxation via Christmas Break.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Well once again I have made a high-effort purchase. The fiance wanted to do one big gift a piece for Christmas because it is close to our one year anniversary of being engaged (even though we've been dating for almost 3 years now). Anyways I went back to the same place I got her engagement ring (Helzberg's) and found another for her right hand that I knew she would love. It's what she asked for for Christmas. It took me over an hour and a half to find the one that I ended up getting and I looked at probably a dozen that were in my price range. Ended up giving it to her early because she begged for it lol. I don't think I've ever heard her squeak like that before. She loved it.

Seeing as Thanksgiving just came to pass, a post on the connectedness function seemed appropriate.My family loves to eat. We also love to be loud. Needless to say, my family LOVES Thanksgiving.We all demonstrated this importance and connectedness through the fact that every year, when plausible, we travel from all over to meet for Thanksgiving. We talk and laugh and listen to the same album every year (The original soundtrack to Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat musical). We argue about pointless topics and eat lots of food.We also cast lots for Secret Santa. Basically, since my family is pretty big, what we do is put names in a jar and everyone draws a name. The name you draw is the person you buy presents for.We have done this every year for as long as I can remember. It is a tradition that contributes to our family connectedness and we all guard it fiercely.

I gotta be honest, I would be willing to venture that in today's deal-saturated consuming world, I am one of the biggest suckers out there. I am who every company dreams of selling to, as I often find myself chomping at the bit the second a deal comes my way, regardless of if i really need, or want, the item in question. Recently, during an excursion into the black Friday madness, I found myself buying tons of things, primarily clothes, that for which I absolutely had no need. The thing that really got me going, however, were the deals. I found myself thinking, well this is awesome, i just saved 30 bucks on that 115 dollar purchase, when in reality, i just lost 115 dollars to something I didn't need, or even have intention to buy before walking into the store. These little moments of realization are something that I have really enjoyed about this Consumer Behavior class. I have found myself analyzing my purchasing habits more than I ever have before, and it has consistently revealed one thing: I have a hard time saying no to spending money. And it is often due to the fact that I think that I am saving money by spending money. Sounds pretty ridiculous, don't you think?